THE WUSKUSO (A NEWSLETTER)

ABOUT A YEAR AGO AS I WAS LEAVING A WEDNESDAY COFFEE HOUR, A TRIBAL MEMBER FROM FLORIDA SAID, I NEVER KNEW THINGS WERE LIKE THIS HERE. SHE SAID, SHE HAD ALWAYS THOUGHT SHE WAS GETTING THE COMPLETE PICTURE OF WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE WUSKUSO. THE WUSKUSO IS A NEWSLETTER NOT A NEWSPAPER. ON THE COVER IT SAYS OFFICIAL TRIBAL NEWSLETTER.

THE DEFINITIONS OF THE TWO IS AS FOLLOWS;

NEWSPAPER- DAILY OR WEEKLY NEWS PUBLICATION

NEWSLETTER-A SPECIAL GROUPS' NEWS BULLETIN, ISSUED REGULARLY

A NEWSPAPER IS SUPPOSED TO BE ACCURATE, UNBIASED, HONEST, STATE THE FACTS AND LOOKED AT AS BEING TRUTHFUL.

A NEWLETTER IS WHAT THEY DO IN BIG COMPANIES TO GIVE THE WORKERS THE BOSSES OPINIONS AND IDEAS, AND TRUTHFUL FACTS (THE BOSSES' AGENDA). NOTE IN THE DEFINITIONS SPECIAL GROUPS'

AN ALLEGED CASE OF THIS, HAPPENED YEARS AGO, WHEN AT A QUARTERLY MEETING , WHICH LEAD TO AN ETHICS IVESTIGATION. IT IS ALLEGED THE CHAIRMAN OF THE MOHEGAN TRIBAL COUNCIL HAD GIVEN TO A WORKER IN THE MOHEGAN GOVERNMENT EITHER A LARGE SALARY ADVANCE OR LOAN WITHOUT SUPPOSEDLY TELLING THE REST OF THE TRIBAL COUNCIL ABOUT IT. IT IS ALSO ALLEGED THAT THE CHAIRMAN ALSO GAVE TO TWO OF THE TRIBAL COUNCIL, LOANS AGAIN WITHOUT THE TRIBAL COUNCIL KNOWING ABOUT IT. IT IS ALLEGED THAT THE TRIBAL CHAIR HAD ASKED AN ADVISOR IF HE COULD GIVE THE LOANS/SALARY ADVANCES AND HE WAS TOLD THAT IT HAD BEEN DONE PREVIOUSLY. I AM NOT SAYING ANYONE DID ANYTHING WRONG, BUT THESE ARE THE ALLEGED FACTS THAT LEAD TO THE ETHICS INVESTIGATION.

IT HAS BEEN ALLEGED THAT THE WUSKUSO PRINTED THE STORY AND ENCLOSED THE NAMES OF THE THREE PEOPLE WHO TOOK THE LOANS OR SALARY ADVANCES.

IT IS THEN ALLEGED THAT THE WUSKUSO CAME OUT THREE DAYS LATER THAN NORMAL AND DID NOT HAVE THE NAMES. WHAT HAPPENED? IF THE NAMES WERE THERE TO START WITH, THEN WHAT HAPPENED? COULD IT BE THE WUSKUSO WAS PRINTED TWICE? WAS THE STAFF OF THE WUSKUSO TOLD TO TAKE THE NAMES OUT?

MOVE FORWARD TO THE AUGUST 6, 2008 WUSKUSO. IT HAS BEEN ALLEGED THAT THE TRIBAL COUNCIL WROTE THE ARTICLE ON PAGE 3, ENTILED MTGA ANNOUNCES THIRD QUARTER RESULTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008. THIS WAS THE ARTICLE THAT SUPPOSEDLY REPORTED ON THE CASINO'S EARNINGS BUT FAILED TO REPORT THAT EARNINGS (PROFITS) FELL BY 89%. IN OTHER WORDS, IT WAS AN ARTICLE ON THE EARNINGS BUT LEFT OUT (CONVENIENTLY) THE EARNINGS.

IN ANOTHER CASE, WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT IT IS ALLEGED THE WUSKUSO STAFF WAS TOLD TO HOLD THE WUSKUSO BACK SEVERAL DAYS, SO THAT IT WAS SENT OUT LATE. THE ALLEGED INCIDENT IS ABOUT A CONTRACTOR WORKING FOR THE TRIBE AT SHANTOK, ( IN THE PERIOD WHEN THEY WERE REDOING THE POND AT SHANTOK,) REMOVED DIRT AND MOVED IT TO THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, ALSO TECHNICALLY IN SHANTOK,

SOME PEOPLE THINK THERE MAY BE MORE CASES, WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND OUT.

WE HAVE ALSO HEARD THAT THE TRIBAL COUNCIL, THE COUNCIL OF ELDERS AND CERTAIN HIGH RANKING STAFF READ THE WUSKUSO BEFORE IT GOES OUT. WHY ARE THEY DOING THAT?

WE THINK THE PEOPLE WORKING ON THE WUSKUSO, ARE FINE, HARD WORKING, DEDICATED PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO DO A GOOD JOB OF GIVING US INFORMATION. WE DO FEEL HOWEVER THAT BY THE WUSKUSO BEING READ BEFORE IT GOES OUT, MAY BE A FORM OF CENSORSHIP. WE ALSO FEEL THAT BY THIS VERY PRACTICE, PUTS UNDO PREASURE ON THE STAFF OF THE WUSKUSO TO PUT OUT A PRODUCT ACCEPTABLE TO THOSE IN LEADERSHIP ABOVE THEM.

HOPEFULLY FROM THIS ARTICLE, YOU UNDERSTAND WHY THE WUSKUSO IS AMPLY CALLED A NEWSLETTER.

UPDATE- THE TRIBAL COUNCIL ADMITTED TO HAVING THEIR STAFF WRITE THE EARNINGS REPORT THAT WAS ON PAGE 3, AUGUST 6, 2008 WUSKUSO.